Details as of 8/16/2018: In January, it was announced by record executive Clive Davis, at his annual pre-GRAMMY party in NYC, that Jennifer Hudson had signed on to portray Aretha Franklin in the biopic based on her memoir Aretha: From These Roots. He also announced that Franklin actually handpicked Hudson to play her. The movie will center around Aretha’s journey to discover her true voice and who she wanted to be as an artist. Currently the film doesn’t have a release date and there are no plans to speed the production in the wake of Aretha’s passing

Sadly on this date, Franklin’s publicist confirmed that the legend died of advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type. Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to the Queen of Soul and took to Instagram to remember the legendary artist. Hudson Instagrammed a video of herself listening to Franklin’s cover of The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” “I have no words, so I will let the Queen say it!” Hudson wrote. “But I will say while teaching me about your life, u taught me so much about life and schooled me in mine. I will never forget those teachings #riparethafranklin.” Sources: People, ET Online, TMZ. Photo Source: ET Online.

Story: Steve Harmon, a bright, sensitive 17-year-old, stands trial for acting as a lookout during the lethal armed robbery of a Harlem bodega. Before his arrest, he was an honors student and aspiring filmmaker taking street-level snapshots and on-the-fly footage of neighborhood life. Now, Steve is seen as just another young black criminal, assumed guilty and labeled a monster. But Steve and his lawyer declare his innocence and attempt to defy the odds in a bid to win his freedom. Source: Sundance.org; Photo Source: IMDB.

Update: On April 22, 2019, Deadline reported that Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to All Rise, the drama written and directed by Anthony Mandler that premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival as Monster. The pic based on Walter Dean Myers’ New York Times-bestselling novel of that name is now headed for a fall 2019 domestic theatrical release.

The plot centers on Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), a 17-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison. Source: Deadline.

Story: In a contemporary adaptation of Langston Hughes’ celebrated play, the holiday musical drama follows Langston, a street-wise teen from Baltimore raised by a single mother, as he journeys to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives Reverend Cornell and Aretha Cobbs. Unwilling to live by the imposing Reverend Cobbs’ rules, a frustrated Langston is determined to return home to his mother, Naima. Langston embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey and along with new friends, and a little divine intervention, he discovers the true meaning of faith, healing, and family. Source: Foxsearchlight.com, official site.

Release Date: 2/4/14 (DVD); 10/11/13 (Limited)Genre: DramaRating: RRunning Time: 108 mins.Studio: Codeblack Entertainment/Lionsgate FilmsDirector: George Tillman, Jr.Cast: Skylan Brooks (Mister)
Ethan Dizon (Pete)
Jennifer Hudson (Mom Gloria)
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Sergeant Pike)
Jordin Sparks (Alice)
Julito McCullum (Dip Stick)
Anthony Mackie (Kris)
Jeffrey Wright (Henry)Story: During a sweltering summer in New York City, 13-year-old Mister’s hard-living mother is apprehended by the police, leaving the boy and nine-year-old Pete alone to forage for food while dodging child protective services and the destructive scenarios of the Brooklyn projects. Faced with more than any child can be expected to bear, the resourceful Mister nevertheless feels he is an unstoppable force against seemingly unmovable obstacles. But what really keeps the pair in the survival game is much more Mister’s vulnerability than his larger-than-life attitude. (Synopsis taken from Codeblack).